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Redford Update July 16
Dear constituents, On Sunday, our government announced the next steps of our flood recovery plan. You can read the news release and access more details here. We made this announcement because we want to give affected Albertans some comfort and the ability to make choices, so they get their lives back on track. We also want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our communities safe and protect families and taxpayers from another flood. No two individuals are experiencing this flood in the same way — everyone is impacted differently. As a result, I know many of you might have questions about how Sunday's announcement applies specifically to you and your family. While the province is taking steps to limit development in the floodway, most flood-affected Albertans are looking at flood maps and finding that they live in a flood fringe. For those people who are looking to rebuild in a flood fringe and who are planning to access provincial funding, we are asking that they take steps to flood proof their homes, to prevent future water damage. You might have questions about what standards and flood-proofing measures you need to take. I want you to know that we're moving as quickly as we possibly can to get you those answers and will announce those standards as soon as they're ready. But, until then, I think it's important that you are aware of two things: 1) The new provincial flood proofing standards will only apply if you are planning to make a claim through our Disaster Recovery Program. If you decide to use personal funds to pay for repairs to your home, you'll be able to decide which, if any, flood proofing measures you want to take. The requirement to flood proof to provincial standards will only apply if you're accessing provincial funds to make repairs to your home and you want to have the option to make another claim through our Disaster Recovery Program in the event of a future flood. 2) If you live in the flood fringe and you're accessing provincial disaster recovery funding to repair your home, the province will assist you financially as you move forward to take steps to flood proof. We're going to provide up to 15 per cent, over and above what you're awarded through the Disaster Recovery Program, to pay for flood-proofing measures. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to make decisions. And we're working as hard as we can to get that information in your hands as quickly as possible. While these are complex policy decisions for government, we know homeowners have complex personal decisions ahead of them as well. As a government, we're going to continue to support you in your efforts to rebuild. And as your MLA, I'm going to ensure that I continue to get you as much clarity and certainty as possible about provincial plans and requirements. I know every decision around flood recovery affects you and your family. For example, tonight, provincial officials and members of my team will attend a meeting with parents to discuss Elbow Park School. While Elbow Park will not be open next year because of flood damage, Minister Jeff Johnson committed to ensuring the province does everything it can to save as much of the historic school as possible. We’re going to work with the Calgary Board, in collaboration with parents, to explore all options to keep Elbow Park student cohorts together in the fall. We want to see this school thrive. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact Emma or Bailee in my constituency office at (403) 252-0346 or call provincial officials at [[|310-4455]]. Information is also available at Alberta.ca. -Alison Redford, MLA for Calgary-Elbow and Premier of Alberta